1. Technical Field
Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus incorporating the fixing device, and more particularly, to a fixing device and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile machine, incorporating the fixing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses are known, including copiers, printers, facsimile machines, or multifunction machines having two or more of the foregoing capabilities. In such image forming apparatuses, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a surface of a photoconductive drum serving as an image carrier. The electrostatic latent image thus formed is developed with toner serving as a developer into a visible toner image. The toner image is then transferred directly, or indirectly via a transfer belt onto a recording medium referred to as a sheet of paper, a recording sheet, a sheet, or a recording material with a transfer device so that the recording medium carries the toner image. Finally, the toner image is fixed onto the recording medium with a fixing device.
Such a fixing device typically includes a fixing member such as a roller, a belt, or a film, and a pressing member such as a roller or a belt. The pressing member is pressed against the fixing member to form a fixing nip therebetween. The toner image is fixed onto the recording medium under heat and pressure while the recording medium passes through the fixing nip.